


Triplet Trouble

by ShiTiger



Series: Odds and Ends [2]
Category: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers Generation One
Genre: M/M, Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-04
Updated: 2014-03-04
Packaged: 2018-01-14 12:50:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,111
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1267210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShiTiger/pseuds/ShiTiger
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A battle is cut short by a series of unfortunate events that eventually lead to Optimus getting to babysit his seeker nephews.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Triplet Trouble

**Author's Note:**

> Strongly inspired by a series of picture books from my childhood. “Jimmy's Boa Adventures” by Trinka Hakes Noble and Steven Kellogg.
> 
> Note: G1. Optimus and Megatron are brothers in this one.

It was a beautiful, sunny day on planet Earth. The birds were singing, the flowers were growing, the giant alien robots were engaged in a battle... yup, just your average day.

“We're going to win this time, Prime,” Megatron growled at his arch nemesis (and brother).

“You will never win, Megatron!” Optimus answered, glancing up as a multi-colored seeker swooped overhead. Starscream came to a landing next to the Decepticon leader.

“Daddy! Mummy!”

The sudden eruption of little voices from Starscream's comm. link had the seeker pausing and cocking his helm to the side. He internally flicked off the public comm. to ensure the conversation would stay private.

Megatron just glared at his second in command. Really, trust Starscream to keep his speakers on during an important battle. Not acceptable!

“You broke Shockwave? How did you break Shockwave?... What do you mean the squid ate him?! The Nemesis is flooding?” Starscream squawked loudly, drawing the attention of the Autobots and Decepticons nearby who were staring at him in shock.

Starscream rubbed his optics and sighed loudly before grabbing Megatron by the arm and yanking him away from the main battleground.

“Starscream!”

“This battle is over,” the seeker announced, making sure each and every Decepticon heard him.

“I'm the leader here, Starscream. I'll be the one to say when the battle is over!” Megatron raged, fury welling up inside of him at the seeker's audacity.

“If you want to return to a dry ship, rather than a completely submerged one, then I suggest you end the battle now,” Starscream hissed, stamping a high-heeled foot on the ground.

“What did your younglings do now?” the Decepticon leader growled, gritting his dentia.

“My younglings?! It takes two to cyber-tango,” the seeker snarled, glaring up at the larger Decepticon.

The pair began to bicker loudly even as the two groups dropped apart and the battle ended without much fuss.

“Decepticons, fall back! Return to the Nemisis!” Megatron finally ordered.

The Autobots were left standing around, wondering what the slag just happened.

(later that day)

Optimus had just settled down at his desk with a cube of energon and was looking forward to some relaxing reading when...

“Prime! Starscream is hailing us and wants... er, demands permission to land. Says he has younglings with him. Oh, and Red Alert's freaking out and has locked himself in the security room again,” Jazz announced over Prime's private comm. frequency.

“I see,” Prime rubbed his helm and sighed.

***

“Congratulations, you get to sparkling sit,” Starscream announced, servos on his hips.

“Ah...” Optimus rebooted his optics and focused on the younglings clinging to the seeker's shoulders.

“You have to let go now. This is your uncle, Optimus, and he'll be watching you for a few Earth days,” the Air Commander said, all the while struggling to pull off at least ONE of the seekerlets clinging tightly to his armor.

“We don't wanna!”

“Yeah!”

“We didn't mean to bwake Shockwave...”

“Or flood the ship...”

Starscream let out a loud sigh and raised an optic ridge at the Prime's startled look.  “Don't ask,” the seeker finally managed to tug one of the younglings off and handed him to the Prime.

“How come you don't have any wings?” the little seeker asked, staring up at the big mech holding him awkwardly.

“Are you a gound-ponder?” another youngling inquired, launching himself off Screamer's shoulder and slamming into the Prime's chest-plates, gripping his armor with sharp claws.

“I think you mean ground-pounder and that's not a nice term to use,” Optimus admonished lightly, putting out a hand for the last little seekerlet that was trying to stay out of reach behind Starscream's head.

Starscream finally got a good grip and yanked the youngling gently away from his body and plunked him down in Optimus's outstretched hand. The seekerlet whimpered, giant red optics watering.

“No crying now. I'll be back as soon as the Nemisis is dry and sealed,” Starscream promised, actually smiling with affection at the younglings before flying off.

“Well, that went well,” Prowl announced dryly.

Three pairs of red optics stared up at the Prime, waiting for something to happen.

“Hello little ones. It looks like we'll be getting to know each other,” Optimus rumbled, smiling gently behind his mask.

***

“And this is our med bay,” Optimus told the young ones that were now sitting on his shoulders and holding tightly to his armor with sharp little claws.

“But we're not sick!” the triplets whined in unison, clinging even tighter.

The doors opened to reveal Ratchet working on Wheeljack's slightly charred body. The scientist's optics lit up at the sight of the younglings and he smiled behind his mask.

“Well, hello there,” Wheeljack greeted cheerfully, despite not having hands to wave with. The inventor's servos had been blown off in his latest experiment, thus Ratchet was annoyed at having to make new ones.

The triplets stared in wonder at the inventor. They were particularly interested in his flashing head-fins.

“Where did you hands go?”

“Pretty colors!”

“Fwashy!”

Ratchet raised an optic at the Prime and smirked. “Something you forgot to tell me, Prime?”

“Uh no. They're not mine, I mean. They're Starscream's... and Megatron's,” the large Autobot leader commented, looking embarrassed for a moment.

“Yep! That's our carrier and sire!” one of the seekerlets chirped, bouncing up and down on Optimus' shoulder.

***

Ratchet shooed them out of the med bay after filtering sparkling-grade energon for the little seekers. Optimus headed towards the rec. room to get a drink of his own. There was plenty of space there to entertain the younglings. Granted, they seemed perfectly content to ride on his shoulders (and head) and stare at passing Autobots.

Once Optimus had gotten the three little ones settled down in the rec. room, he attempted to find out what had happened to the Nemesis. The answers he received were... a little bit unusual.

“Shockwave went to sleep and got eated by Squidy. But Squidy didn't like him, so he spit him back out,” the eldest youngling said.

“Went to sleep?”

“Yeah. He made us leave the room and when we turned on the TV to watch cartoons, we saw him go all sparky and then he went to sleep. Then Squidy ate him.”

“Why did he make you leave the room?”

“Cause the room was flooding after we let Squidy in.”

“You let a squid into the Nemesis?”

“Yeah. He's our pet Squidy and he looked hungry. Carrier said not to feed him while he and sire were fighting Autodots, but we didn't want him to be hungy, so we opened the doors and let him in.”

Optimus shook his head in unspoken amusement.

**Author's Note:**

> That's all, folks! I had originally intended more, but it never got written.


End file.
